European Championship Italy once again failed to qualify for the World Cup. In a rapid and stunning fall from grace, the Azzurri were upset by North Macedonia in a 1-0 loss that headlined a night of drama in the European qualifying playoffs on Thursday.
Italy will miss out on back-to-back World Cups for the first time in the national team’s storied history, having also failed to get to the tournament in 2018. For North Macedonia, Aleksandar Trajkovski scored in stoppage time.
In the other match, Portugal defeated Turkey 3-1. They will now face North Macedonia in Path C, for a place at FIFA World Cup 2022 at Qatar.
In Path B, Sweden defeated the Czech Republic 1-0 after extra time to advance to the final in the other qualifying bracket. Sweden will travel to play Poland on Tuesday for a spot in the tournament in Qatar. Poland received a bye to the playoff final after its scheduled opponent, Russia, was suspended for qualifying following the war in Ukraine.
In Path A, Wales defeated Austria 2-1. Gareth Bale scored a brace for Wales. Wales will host either Scotland or Ukraine in the playoff final in June. Their semifinal match was postponed until that month as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
